ArcTanGent Preview

ArcTanGent returns to Fernhill Farm this August for its fifth year as the UK’s only festival dedicated to math, post and alt-rock. Not to say the organisers don’t pull out the stops every year, but 2017’s edition of the festival looks to have bagged some real heavy hitters across genres for the line-up, including the sole UK appearance of the year from hardcore essentials Converge, who headline the Arc Stage on the Friday night. This could be the heaviest show ArcTanGent has hosted since The Dillinger Escape Plan took apart their top billing two years ago, so one to watch if you’re heading down.

2017’s iteration also sees the first appearance at the festival from Explosions In The Sky, who will be filling the obligatory ‘Post Rock Legends’ position previously occupied by Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mono (only Mogwai left on the wish list, surely?). Any post rock fan worth their salt will be familiar with the delay-drenched intro to ‘Your Hand In Mine’, and the Arc Stage seems the perfect setting to immerse yourself in EITS’s magnum opus.

The Thursday line-up is once again comprised of returning veterans of Arctangents past, with Russian Circles taking on headline duties armed with searing new material from their latest Guidance LP to air. HECK and USA Nails look set to stir a pinch of disgusting alt into the festival soup early on, interspersed with the technical fun of Totorro and Tall Ships. It’s basically a great excuse to catch all the bands you accidentally missed last year, or re-watch your favourites in the intimacy of Arctangent’s more modest stages.

Friday highlights include the unique poetic drawl of Fayetteville’s Listener and the toughest clash of the week between the hot mania of Wot Gorilla? and the irrepressible sludge of OHHMS, both likely to stuff their sets with the freshest takes from their respective new albums. Good luck choosing between those two. Saturday looks to take a heavier turn (that dreamy EITS headline slot excluded) with appearances from fretboard mathematicians Tesseract and Holy Roar’s rising stars Employed to Serve. Also watch out for Big Lad, or ‘the artist formerly known as Shit Wife’, who will be around to inject a last dance shot of adrenaline into the closing day of the fest.

If that isn’t enough excitement for you, the legendary ATG Silent Disco is returning for another year; perfect for dancing off all the tantalising veggie breakfasts, Dutch pancakes and gourmet scotch eggs you stuffed in your gob watching the God Is An Astronaut set.

Grab your weekend tickets here. Listen to Explosions In The Sky’s album All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone below.